First Nations outreach patrol set to hit the streets in Whitehorse – APTN News
Jan 30, 2024
The service will hit the streets on Feb. 1.
A new pilot project will soon be hitting Whitehorse’s downtown core with the aim of helping vulnerable Indigenous people.
On Feb. 1, the Council of Yukon First Nations (CYFN) will formally launch Moccasin Mobile Outreach. The mobile service is aimed at providing culturally relevant supports to street involved people as well as enhancing safety in downtown Whitehorse.
“We know right now that Yukon First Nations and Indigenous people are overrepresented in the homeless population,” CYFN executive director Shadelle Chambers told reporters on Jan. 29.
“Our service is really meant to ensure that people are not dying on the street freezing and or being harmed.”
Yukon government is investing $300,000 as part of its downtown safety action plan. The plan was released following complaints from downtown businesses and residents that people staying at the Whitehorse emergency shelter are causing safety concerns and disturbances.
